Antarctica receives more solar radiation than does any other place on Earth, yet the temperatures are so cold and the ice cap is
reflective, so that little polar ice melts during the summer; otherwise, the water levels of the oceans would rise 250 feet and engulf most of the world’s great cities. (A) is reflective, so that little polar ice melts during the summer; otherwise,
(B) is so reflective that little of the polar ice melts during the summer; were it to do so,
(C) so reflective that little polar ice melts during the summer, or else
(D) reflective, so that little of the polar ice melts during the summer, or
(E) reflects so that little of the polar ice melts during the summer; if it did
From the given sentence, the use of the parallelism in the wording has to be taken in consideration. So, as -are so is used in the word -cold, likewise, the word -is so will also be used right before reflective. Then again, as the sentence continues, the phrase "-were it to do so" will provide the consequence of the melting of the ice, which is the first component of the sentence.
